COLT rolls out 40Mbps speeds over DSL copper lines

14 Sep 2009

Proving that businesses can still get fast speeds over copper, COLT Telecom today revealed a breakthrough with data speeds of 40Mbps now achievable over traditional copper telephone lines.

The company said that until now SMEs believed they had to have fibre-optic cabling in order to achieve this speed level.

COLT said this morning that it can now deliver its full portfolio of services across 12 European countries with bandwidth of up to 40Mpbs over standard phone lines.

The company says it is the first provider to deliver high speeds of up to 40Mbps across its entire portfolio of Ethernet and IP services, including internet access, VoIP services and interoffice networking services.

SMEs that want high-speed business-grade bandwidth but find fibre too expensive can save up to 50pc on the total cost.

“With these new services launched across Europe, we have significantly reduced the cost of entry to high-speed bandwidth,” Carl Robertson, director SME product and marketing at COLT, explained.

“Now our small and medium-sized customers don’t need to invest in a fibre connection to the COLT network to enjoy the type of service usually only delivered to the larger enterprises.”

Customers in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden can realise the benefits of bandwidth up to 40Mbps and customers in Austria and Denmark up to 30Mbps.

This bandwidth is available for download and uploads traffic simultaneously, which is key for business applications.

“We have seen a significant increase in demand for high-speed services as businesses look to invest in a best-in-class service that will deliver their critical applications securely,” Patrick Patterson, marketing manager at COLT Ireland, explained.

“Within a year, we have significantly increased the amount of customer sites connected with our Ethernet over copper offering and we now serve over 1,500 customer sites in Europe.

“This latest development will enable us to deliver even faster speeds and we expect this number to increase even more. Being able to deliver the benefits of high bandwidth without the price tag of a fibre connection to the COLT network means our customers in Ireland can get on with what they do best – which is to develop and advance their businesses.”

Patterson said COLT will continue to invest in its broadband offering and maintains its commitment to lobbying for high-speed bandwidth access via copper across Europe.

By John Kennedy

Photo: COLT Telecom can now deliver its services with bandwidth of up to 40Mpbs over standard phone lines.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com